"According to our family's records, legend speaks of a cursed spirit who appeared a thousand years ago during the peak of jujutsu's prosperity. He was known as Ryomen Sukuna, a being with four arms and two faces. Born exceptionally powerful and with an insatiable thirst for slaughter, he was unmatched in strength among his contemporaries in the jujutsu world. However, Ryomen Sukuna belonged neither to humanity nor to the cursed spirits—he acted purely on whim and emotion."
"Later, the Fujiwara Hokke clan dispatched their elite squads, the 'Sun-Moon-Star Advance Team' and the 'Five Void Generals,' intending to defeat Ryomen Sukuna. But in the end, they were completely annihilated. Left with no choice, the shogunate could only invite Ryomen Sukuna to the Heian-kyō Palace and enshrine him as a new deity."
"Before his death, Ryomen Sukuna divided his soul into twenty fragments and sealed them into his fingers—like this one you brought, Buddha. It's likely one of those twenty."
Himejima Shuno's explanation was concise and clear, making it easy to understand at a glance.
However, after listening, Keikein Fukuki looked up at the sky, lost in thought. After a long pause, he spoke haltingly.
"It sounds impressive, but there seems to be some exaggeration here…"
"Exaggeration?" Himejima Shuno looked puzzled.
"Well, this involves parts of the Onmyoji's history."
Keikein Fukuki's expression turned nostalgic.
"I've read my family's records. A thousand years ago was indeed the fastest period of development for jujutsu and Onmyodo. At that time, the pinnacle of the Onmyoji lineage wasn't the Keikein family but the Gomonin family. The head of the Gomonin family back then was none other than the most famous Onmyoji today—Abe no Seimei. He was the one who should have been enshrined in the Heian-kyō Palace a thousand years ago."
"It's said that Abe no Seimei's mother was a fox spirit. Initially, his wish as the head of the Gomonin family was for humans and yokai to coexist peacefully—"
Keikein Fukuki spread his hands.
"But one day, someone killed his mother and tried to turn her into a fur coat to give to him…"
"That's when Abe no Seimei snapped. He left the Heian-kyō Palace entirely, siding with the yokai and becoming the master of all monsters and spirits a thousand years ago."
"So, it seems Ryomen Sukuna was only enshrined in the Heian-kyō Palace after Abe no Seimei fled."
After this long explanation, the boy paused slightly and smirked.
"As for the Fujiwara Hokke clan, honestly, while the Fujiwara family was indeed nobility in ancient Japan, they were just nobility—no comparison to the legitimate Onmyoji families. At best, they'd spend a fortune hiring ordinary Onmyoji from the Keikein and Gomonin families as guards every year."
"A team of ordinary Onmyoji losing to the peak of the cursed world back then seems normal. Especially since Abe no Seimei had gone rogue and sided with the yokai to fight against humans. No wonder the shogunate was desperate enough to enshrine such a demon lord in the palace."
Hmm…
Thinking about it, Ryomen Sukuna from the records seems a bit overhyped.
Keikein Fukuki pondered further, then nodded toward the finger in Shuno's hand.
"So, if those jujutsu sorcerers wanted to seal the fingers, why didn't they just destroy them outright?"
"Well… this is the first time I've seen the real thing, so I'm not entirely sure."
Himejima Shuno shook her head slightly.
"But from the records, it seems many tried to destroy these fingers but failed. In the end, they could only settle for sealing them."
"…Huh?"
Keikein Fukuki was momentarily stunned.
Seriously? They failed? It's just a finger. If they couldn't beat him when he was alive, fine. But now that he's dead and only his fingers remain, they still couldn't handle it?
Is it really that hard?
"It can't be that difficult. I'll give it a try now."
Keikein Fukuki stood up, took the Sukuna finger from Himejima Shuno, and instantly ignited a terrifying golden spiritual pressure around his body. The gusts of wind caused the curtains in the reception room to flutter wildly, as if all the windows had been thrown open during a typhoon.
Of course, the girls' hemlines fluttered wildly too.
"Hey… wait, Fukuki, you're not going to go all out here, are you?"
Rias, sitting on the sofa nearby, pressed down her skirt, looking flustered.
Though they hadn't known each other long, they'd already collaborated several times, and she'd seen Keikein Fukuki fight before.
If this guy unleashed his full power in this old school building without restraint, not only would the building itself be destroyed, but the entire Kuoh Academy might be blown to bits!
"Ara ara, it looks like Fukuki-kun is serious this time~"
Across from them, Himejima Shuno remained elegant, her hands folded gently on her lap, her beautiful face wearing its usual gentle smile.
Even the petite white-haired girl beside her, Tashiro Neko, who had been focused on eating cake from the start, was forced to press down her skirt, peeking over the cake with a small voice.
"Whenever Senior Fukuki encounters anything related to jujutsu sorcerers, his competitive spirit flares up inexplicably."
"Maybe it's just the pride of being an Onmyoji?"
Himejima Shuno added, and the two girls exchanged knowing glances.
Keikein Fukuki stood silently, his ten fingers intertwining in mid-air to form a spherical shape, his palms glowing brightly as they enveloped the Sukuna finger.
It looked as if he were kneading the core of an artificial sun in his hands.
Soon, as the spiritual pressure he exerted grew more terrifying, a crisp sound, like ice shattering, echoed through the air. A golden crack appeared on the finger that was supposedly "indestructible."
Keikein Fukuki increased his force.
Then came the second crack, the third, the fourth…
Moments later, as the golden spiritual pressure around Keikein Fukuki gradually subsided, he released his grip. The Sukuna finger, now reduced to charred fragments, fell from mid-air, landing on the coffee table and shattering into a pile of dust.
"Not that hard, huh."
Looking at the completely destroyed Sukuna finger on the table, the boy said nonchalantly.
"Impressive…"
The petite white-haired girl across from him swallowed the last bite of her cake, watching the boy's rather cool display before asking a crucial question.
"So, now that the finger's destroyed, what if the Jujutsu Association comes looking for Senior Fukuki to demand its return?"
"True, after all, it's technically their property." Himejima Shuno added, her lips curling slightly. "They might even demand compensation."
"…"
The moment those words left their mouths, Keikein Fukuki, who had been quite satisfied with his accomplishment a second ago, froze in place.
Compensation shouldn't be necessary, right? After all, they could only seal the fingers because they couldn't destroy them. Now that he's destroyed it for them, they should be grateful.
But considering the poor relationship between jujutsu sorcerers and Onmyoji, and the personalities of those old fogies in the Jujutsu Association's upper echelons… they just might pull something like that.
So, what if the Jujutsu Association comes knocking and starts demanding compensation? He doesn't have the money to pay those nouveau riche, and if the Keikein family in Kyoto gets involved, things will get complicated. Ugh… what to do?
Just as this thought crossed the boy's mind, the landline phone in the reception room suddenly rang.
Ring… ring… ring!
"Oh, it's the phone…"
Himejima Shuno, as the Vice President of the Occult Research Club, instinctively stood up to answer it.
But Rias, closer to the phone, beat her to it, waving her hand to signal she'd handle it.
"Hello? This is Kuoh Academy's Occult Research Club… Oh, I see. Got it… I'll pass the message along."
After receiving some information, the red-haired girl hung up the phone and turned to Keikein Fukuki, who was curiously looking her way.
"It's from the school guard. They said there's a high school girl from another school at the gate asking for you specifically. Her name is 'Busujima Saeko.' Do you know her, Fukuki?"
"…"
Man!